Breastfeeding Tips, Questions and Advice!!

jilltibby

FouNd out yesterday that my supply is too low for baby's demand and his weight is not where want it. He's almost 3 weeks and back to birth weight but still at 25% for age. Also it explains all of the fussing- poor guy was just hungry! So, pedi recommended supplementing so I've started pumping after each feeding. I get 1-2 oz per pump per feeding which he then eats on top of what I'm breastfeeding him about every 3 hrs. I'm going to try fenugreek to increase my supply but my question is- how long do I keep pumping at each feeding? And will this even work to boost my supply? Any other tips to boOst my supply that has worked for others? Trying to limit how much I supplement with formula but yesterday I had to give to him an ounce because he was still hungry after a full 1 hour feeding and 2oz of pumped breasmilk. Poor guy. I feel so bad for not knowing I was under feeding him

Skomnath

I have a question for seasoned moms out there, and newbies too. I'm a new mom and my daughter is 7 weeks old, I'm strictly breastfeeding, she weighs 10 lbs, completely healthy, feeds every 3 hrs give or take. She will NOT wake for night feedings! I try not to let her go more than 4 hours at night but she refuses to wake up before 6 am. Should I just let her sleep?? Or REALLY try and wake her?? Any advice will be appreciated!!

jessa1228

flutterbuggie said:

So is it normal for babies to start eating for less time around 7 weeks? I feel like my LO has been slowly decreasing her time nursing. It used to be an hour, then half an hour, then 15-20 minutes and now lately she's only been doing 10 at most feedings. I have a hard time trusting she is getting enough as I'm not used to her nursing for so short.

Also I posted this on a random thread but I'll also post it here. Is it normal for your milk supply to fluctuate significantly from week to week? I feel like some weeks I (and her) have to work really hard to feed her enough and some weeks it's super easy. Last week out of nowhere I was super full feeling at every feeding and then this week all of a sudden I'm feeling way more empty. I know you can't base your supply off of how you feel but it's just weird that I would have such a variance sometimes. I guess I'm nervous about it because I have PCOS and I'm worried one day my milk supply will just be gone.

Yep, totally normal. Babies get more efficient at feeding the more they do it. My LO is typically done in 10 minutes.

As for the supply fluctuation, I feel you. Mine are the same way overnight and early in the morning and I frequently wake up engorged. I thought my body was supposed to have switched over to demand-based production by now but evidently not.

rox825

@flutterbuggie my LO is taking a bit less time now too at 6 weeks, it's hard to just trust it but I have to assume that he's getting better at eating because he's having as many diapers and not waking up hungry any more often.

AnnieRoo13

kegcrc said:

I just started integrating a bottle to LO. I noticed that coincided with green poops, which we never had an issue with. Anyone else have this happen?

This hasn't happened to me, but I would think the reason might be that you're not pumping long enough to get enough hind milk, so LO would be getting mostly fore milk resulting in green poop.

jessa1228

@AmyG*‌ - all of a sudden yesterday my right breast started getting horribly engorged. I hand expressed enough to make it feel a little better before DS was ready to feed. Then just now overnight I couldn't sleep because it was so bad. DS just finished on that side, i massaged it the entire time to get all the knots out but it still feels like i could get more out.

Any idea why this is suddenly happening? The only thing I could think of was that it was the first time in 2 weeks that I didn't pump after DS's first morning feed, but the engorgment didn't hit until late afternoon and it's only affecting one side.

jessa1228

AmyG* said:

If you had been pumping regularly after that first morning feed but skipped it you may have a bit of a plugged duct starting on that side from the engorgement. Focus on making sure that side gets a bit more attention today to make sure it clears. Depending on oz you regularly pump skipping a pump can mess you up.

I definitely think that's what happened. I wasn't planning on pumping for a few days because I'm visiting my parents and don't really have a way to store milk. Thankfully I brought my pump just in case, so this morning I pumped both sides just enough to relieve the engorgement. Thanks!

jilltibby

AmyG* said:

jilltibby said:

FouNd out yesterday that my supply is too low for baby's demand and his weight is not where want it. He's almost 3 weeks and back to birth weight but still at 25% for age. Also it explains all of the fussing- poor guy was just hungry! So, pedi recommended supplementing so I've started pumping after each feeding. I get 1-2 oz per pump per feeding which he then eats on top of what I'm breastfeeding him about every 3 hrs. I'm going to try fenugreek to increase my supply but my question is- how long do I keep pumping at each feeding? And will this even work to boost my supply? Any other tips to boOst my supply that has worked for others? Trying to limit how much I supplement with formula but yesterday I had to give to him an ounce because he was still hungry after a full 1 hour feeding and 2oz of pumped breasmilk. Poor guy. I feel so bad for not knowing I was under feeding him

Go see an ibclc lactation consultant to find out what is going on. It may be your supply or it may be a latch. Or milk transfer or weak suck issue that the LC can help with.
Three weeks is a growth spurt and it's usually a bad idea to do an lot of supplementing and limit time at the breast during a growth spurt. Two oz is alo a quite large supplement amount almostvabdull feeding. I would get a weighted feeding or three to see how much baby is getting at the breast to be sure supplement is the correct amount and not too much.

Thanks for your advice. Have been seeing LC from the get go and everything has been fine from her standpoint. Waiting to hear back from her but she's been out this week due to the holiday. She didn't really agree with pedi that I needed to supplement based on her initial findings but the pedi has been rather steadfast about us supplementing from the beginning. LO's weight has. Been increasing since the initial drop but he thinks it needs to be faster I guess.... After pumping a ton for a few days and taking mothers love I've seen an improvement and he's been more satisfied after each feeding. I do still have to supplement with 1-2 oz of breast milk at some feedings but it's less and less now. We had another weigh in yesterday and his weight wAs 8lbs 5oz (birth weight was 8lbs 3oz) and pedi wants us to still supplement for another 2 weeks and recheck. Like you mentioned I'm not thrilled about it and am doing everything I can to increase my supply so that I'm enough for him. Drinking the lactation tea, ordered lactation cookies and eating oatmeal in addition to pumping and the herbal supplement. Also working on keeping baby better awake for his feedings which I think was an issue too. I tell ya, this is tough!

mockingjay1

Does anyone else's LO let breast milk escape the corner of their mouth when they breastfeed? I have to put a burp rag under us or one/both of us get pretty wet. I don't know if this is in part because of the nipple shield?

Also when does a baby get more efficient? DS still takes 30-45 min to eat every time.

TC0514

I posted this in random thread:

My little guy absolutely will not latch on. I've tried everything, including a nipple shield. I've been pumping the last 7 weeks but still try to get him on the boob at least once a day but he literally flips out like I'm trying to kill him. It's breaking my heart and has me feeling so down. Anyone else have a baby who just will not take the boob at all?? I know the most important is he's getting the Breastmilk but even that isn't enough I'm still having to supplement with formula. I Know my supply would be much better if he actually took the boob.

hjenni

@dmo1371 Yes to the milk drool! It makes me wonder how much is getting in his mouth, but he has plenty of pee diapers and is gaining steadily so he must be getting most of it lol.

AnnieRoo13

dmo1371 said:

Does anyone else's LO let breast milk escape the corner of their mouth when they breastfeed? I have to put a burp rag under us or one/both of us get pretty wet. I don't know if this is in part because of the nipple shield?

Also when does a baby get more efficient? DS still takes 30-45 min to eat every time.

LO does this too. I believe it's like a built in control system when they're just comfort nursing or when the flow is too fast and they can't handle it all.

jessa1228

dmo1371 said:

Does anyone else's LO let breast milk escape the corner of their mouth when they breastfeed? I have to put a burp rag under us or one/both of us get pretty wet.

Yep. I have an overactive letdown and if it's been a few hours since DS has eaten, the milk basically spills out of his mouth. He usually unlatches then and I just hold the burp cloth over my nipple until i'm done spraying like a fire hose, then let DS relatch.

mockingjay1

jessa1228 said:

dmo1371 said:

Does anyone else's LO let breast milk escape the corner of their mouth when they breastfeed? I have to put a burp rag under us or one/both of us get pretty wet.

Yep. I have an overactive letdown and if it's been a few hours since DS has eaten, the milk basically spills out of his mouth. He usually unlatches then and I just hold the burp cloth over my nipple until i'm done spraying like a fire hose, then let DS relatch.

Yeah I think I do too because DS sometimes chokes when I let down. The shield helps contain it some so I wonder if it will be worse when I wean from the shield.

It makes it pretty much impossible to NIP even covered when you have to worry about a nursing shield staying on and getting your clothes wet...

oklahomamom09

NinerGirl52 said:

My apologies in advance if this has been asked, but wondering for those who are Pumping ... How are You warming your bottles?

Under warm water is how we do it

minibean16

@flutterbuggie‌ I could have written that myself today - I started thinking I lost my whole supply. But I'm more inclined to believe that because she's eating so frequently (I'm happy if we make it to an hour!) my letdown isn't as strong, so she doesn't need to swallow with the same force as usual. Keep relying on her diaper output as a guide.

However, my LC said, if she wants the breast, give her the breast, even if she isn't really eating.

minibean16

@flutterbuggie‌ I'm going to weigh her tomorrow too! It drives me crazy that I don't know how much she is getting or if she's gaining! Our public health nurse and LC can watch her and say "oh, she just swallowed" when I see nothing, so I guess she is eating sometimes when I think she's just chillaxing. And you're right - if she was starving, she'd tell me!

minibean16

flutterbuggie said:

minibean16 said:

@flutterbuggie‌ I'm going to weigh her tomorrow too! It drives me crazy that I don't know how much she is getting or if she's gaining! Our public health nurse and LC can watch her and say "oh, she just swallowed" when I see nothing, so I guess she is eating sometimes when I think she's just chillaxing. And you're right - if she was starving, she'd tell me!

@minibean16‌ so are you not hearing her swallow at all? I'm thinking maybe I don't actually know what swallowing is supposed to sound like when it's not coming out fast.

Yes! I feel like I hear the guzzling/gulping but nothing else. I can see it sometimes, but she often has her arms up by her face, no matter how many times I remind her she's not see through. I just don't hear the regular swallows

AnnieRoo13

@flutterbuggie‌ I've noticed my breasts don't feel as full before feeding lately either. I used to be able to tell which side he ate from purely by the way my breasts felt. They definitely feel softer than before. I can tell he's still getting milk because it will be all over his face after a feed and the amount of diapers, but it did worry me a little. Since we're both past the 6 week growth spurt maybe it's our supply finally levelling out? Try not to worry!

rox825

LO has started to thrash around while nursing over the past few weeks and it's getting progressively worse. He does it at varying times during the nursing session and not every time that he eats. I usually take him off to try to burp and sometimes he does and is then better, sometimes it's because he's about to poop. But sometimes nothing helps- I just tried to feed him and he thrashed the entire time so it wasn't from let down, he did it before and after pooping, and I unlatched him 3 or 4 times to try to burp and he started immediately again whether I got a burp out of him or not. I finally had to just end the feeding because it felt like he was going to tear my nipple right off of my body so I have no idea how much he actually got. What could be causing this and how can I get him to stop?? Breastfeeding was only barely tolerable pain-wise before this started and it's making my nipples so much worse that I'm starting to feel like I'm reaching my breaking point again And there's no way he's eating enough this way.

rox825

Thanks @Wolkie. I'm just so frustrated that breastfeeding has been such a challenge, as soon as I get 1 issue somewhat under control we end up with a new problem. This one is causing pain again and I just don't know how long I can keep toughing it out. Maybe he'll just miraculously stop.

CarrieAnne09

I'm not alone!! What is this frustrated latching and unlatching?? It makes me crazy! My poor DH has to listen to me complain about it every night

rox825

Not that I'm glad you all are having similar issues, but I feel a bit better that it's happening to others too and not some random thing that's just happening with LO!

ETA I've been wondering if it could be a sign of reflux issues. Has anyone else with the thrashing had signs of reflux?

minibean16

Wolkie said:

My areolas have started to have a burning sensation after feeding. Only the areolas, not the nipples

I didn't have burning, but some pain, and it went away within a day when I lathered myself with lanolin. Nurse said it was normal.

rox825

@WildFlower810 congrats on a month with no supplementing! I think I'm close to that milestone soon too except we've given a few small bottles of pumped milk to get him used to them for daycare. And my LO is planting his feet now too.

Thanks @AmyG*, babies are tricky little creatures.

hjenni

NinerGirl52 said:

My apologies in advance if this has been asked, but wondering for those who are Pumping ... How are You warming your bottles?

We just got a bottle warmer for Christmas, but before that we were just heating a mug of water in the microwave and then setting the bottle in it for about 3 minutes.

minibean16

@flutterbuggie‌ I came into this thread to ask you about E's weigh-in (makes her sound like a boxer!) My A gained 7.2 ounces in 7 days, so I'm a happy mom. It proves she gets enough even when I'm oblivious! She's got a mini-cold and is congested, so I'm glad she's still eating enough.

minibean16

flutterbuggie said:

minibean16 said:

@flutterbuggie‌ I came into this thread to ask you about E's weigh-in (makes her sound like a boxer!) My A gained 7.2 ounces in 7 days, so I'm a happy mom. It proves she gets enough even when I'm oblivious! She's got a mini-cold and is congested, so I'm glad she's still eating enough.

@minibean16  That is so awesome!  Our little girls are rockstars! (So are our boobs apparently - let's remember that next time we get so worried!)

ETA - Not sure if you saw my earlier post with E's weight.  7 ounces in 7 days also!

Superstars!! I was a proud peacock at the public health office! It's so nice to know they know what they're doing even if we don't!

FishyMom

I'm not sure my question qualifies for bf, but I'll ask any way.

My LO is having trouble accepting the bottle. I am pretty sure I found a bottle she likes as we have tried several and Dr Browns is the only one she will stay latched to when we actually get her to take it. I was considering doing a "bottle boot camp" and feeding all bottles 1 day. Thoughts on this?

Also when I pump my right side gives a ton more milk than my left, is there any way I can increase production on just my right side?

crizz13

My LO has had a pretty nasty cold for five days now. Two days in, we went to the pedi because it was accompanied by a consistent cough. Since she doesn't have a fever we got the advice to just run the humidifier, use saline drops, etc. All along, she'd been eating fine.

Except...

For the past 24 hours, she's vomited after every feed. She'll feed like normal, I'll pick her up to burp and within five minutes, she vomits a significant amount and sounds more congested.

Is this a normal occurrence when breastfeeding a LO with a cold? (She's 7 weeks)

jessa1228

I only use one side per feeding. When I go back to work and start pumping, should I only pump one side per session to simulate this? I've done it once or twice when H has given DS a bottle and I was able to pump pretty much exactly what he ate, so I'm thinking yes but I'm just curious.

mockingjay1

We've started giving DS a bath before bed the last few nights and as a result he seems to be sleeping longer stretches (maybe related maybe not I don't know). I get super engorged/uncomfortable though so I've been setting my alarm to wake him. He's been sleepy enough he usually only eats from one side in the motn so that leaves my other side engorged and going 8ish hours without him feeding on it. I'm scared my supply will take a hit or I'll get mastitis so I've been pumping at 3-5am. I usually pump once a day in the early am anyway... What's the best thing to do so I'm not so engorged without ruining my milk supply it took me so long to get? Nighttime used to be when he'd take his biggest feedings.

rox825

@dmo1371 I don't have an answer but mine is doing the same thing, sleeping longer and eating less. I've been wondering the same thing about supply, my hospital has a 7 day/week breastfeeding call line so if I remember to call today to ask I'll let you know what they say.

jessa1228

dmo1371 said:

We've started giving DS a bath before bed the last few nights and as a result he seems to be sleeping longer stretches (maybe related maybe not I don't know). I get super engorged/uncomfortable though so I've been setting my alarm to wake him. He's been sleepy enough he usually only eats from one side in the motn so that leaves my other side engorged and going 8ish hours without him feeding on it. I'm scared my supply will take a hit or I'll get mastitis so I've been pumping at 3-5am. I usually pump once a day in the early am anyway... What's the best thing to do so I'm not so engorged without ruining my milk supply it took me so long to get? Nighttime used to be when he'd take his biggest feedings.

I went through this too. I would hand express just enough to relieve the discomfort so I could sleep. I didn't want to empty the breast any more than that because it would signal to my body that I actually needed that milk when I didn't. After a few days my body got the message and while I still get slightly engorged, it's not nearly as bad as it was.

mamatohne

I Didn't See this here. Sorry if it was and I missed it. I'm getting ready to go back to work. I have 25 oz of breathing frozen. I'm doing everything I can to boost my supply. I will be pumping at work. We are still nursing on demand. And I have no idea how much she is eating. I have bottle fed a few times and she seems to be good at 3oz. But hungry again 1.5 hours later. That seems like so much. That would mean she is eating 18 oz in 9 hours. I'm trying to figure out how to set out breast milk and if I'm even going to have enough. How much should a 10 week old be eating?

mockingjay1

Ok so related to the question I asked above about DS sleeping more at night... Should I set an alarm for myself to pump a little so I'm not too engorged/at risk for mastitis or should I just sleep until myself or DS wake up on our own?

crizz13

Does anyone know if LCs can help with getting a baby to take a bottle? I keep finding myself in situations where I wish she would just take one. She'll also be going to daycare in a month...

After 5 weeks of trying to get LO to take one, millions of google searches, and six different bottle/nipple combinations, this is really causing major stress for me and DH.

I can't help but think we're doing something wrong.

crizz13

Thanks @AmyG*‌! We've tried some of those things, but not all! We'll keep at it in hopes that we'll find something that works!!!

mockingjay1

@Econosaurus‌ - I'm not much help but have you tried a different position on the right side to see if that would help?

So I'm still using the nipple shield... Tried without some yesterday and LO wasn't really having it. So I noticed toward the end of feedings I'm having nipple pain. Turns out LO is sucking so hard he's pulling my nipple all the way to the top of the shield and parts of my nipple are being sucked out of the 4 holes on the shield! I have 4 raised parts of skin that match the shield perfectly. What if anything can I do about that?? Ouch!

heathertoni5

Recently discovered this community even though I have has this app since I got prego ( in March, lol) Today I have one breast that is completely engorged and everything that I do nothing seems to help... For example, the past 5 times lo has nursed it has been only that breast, but he never seems to empty it. I also tried pumping for like 30 Mins and only got half an oz and didn't feel any relief. This boob is out of control, anyone have any other ideas?